Rwanda has filed for £100m in arbitration after the UK scrapped a 2022 asylum deal under which it would host some asylum seekers. The agreement, signed under Boris Johnson, included payments and the resettlement of vulnerable refugees, but only a handful were transferred before Labour ended the scheme. Rwanda claims the UK breached the deal by publicizing financial terms, withholding payments, and failing to resettle refugees, prompting formal arbitration at The Hague. The UK government says it will defend taxpayers and contests any obligation to pay, while the deal’s termination is set for March 2026. Experts warn the arbitration could take years, leaving unresolved legal and financial exposure for Britain amid political criticism from Conservatives.
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Rwanda has filed for £100m in arbitration after the UK scrapped a 2022 asylum deal under which it would host some asylum seekers. The agreement, signed under Boris Johnson, included payments and the resettlement of vulnerable refugees, but only a handful were transferred before Labour ended the scheme. Rwanda claims the UK breached the deal by publicizing financial terms, withholding payments, and failing to resettle refugees, prompting formal arbitration at The Hague. The UK government says it will defend taxpayers and contests any obligation to pay, while the deal’s termination is set for March 2026. Experts warn the arbitration could take years, leaving unresolved legal and financial exposure for Britain amid political criticism from Conservatives.